Knowbotic Research is a German-Swiss electronic art group, created by Yvonne Wilhelm, Christian Hübler and Alexander Tuchacek. All three were born in 1962 and formed the group in 1991, and they are based in Zurich Switzerland. Knowbotic is a term that combines the words ‘knowledge’ and ‘robot’, and it means intellectual agent (or mediator) on the internet.
Their main objective is to transform the public sphere of society, meaning they want to further integrate technology into our society. The Knowbotic Research group has experimented with the intersection of technology, information, and knowledge interface (the space where humans and machines interact). They have also worked with immersive virtual reality (a state of consciousness where the participant’s awareness of their physical self or reality is lost or diminished, like a virtual world or being inside of a video game). In 1993 they experimented with ‘knowbots’, intelligent agent applications that could cluster delicate or hazy information by themselves. In 1995 they worked a partnership with the Academy of Media Arts Cologne to create Membrane, a laboratory for media strategies. In 1997 the group worked with the Japanese art group, Canon Art Lab, in Tokyo Japan. The purpose of this project was to reveal the function of the city, by interacting between the real and virtual world.
From ’94 to’97 the group worked on a project called “Dialogue with the Knowbotic South”, which would actually allow participants to interact with Antarctica for themselves (virtually of course). In this project they used data from various Antarctic research stations, and all of this information was used to put together a virtual world/picture of Antarctica. Participants would then be able to move around with a keyboard through sounds and other visual data, with the use of knowbots, through the visuals that appeared on projection screens. They were also equipped with a pair of glasses with a built in monitor. All of these things created an interactive environment for the participants, they were able to gain and learn more about Antarctica through this virtual experience.
In their most recent work, the group has experimented with media based projects that try to interfere with the public sphere. They also like to expand outside of their comfort zone, during different projects the group has been known to invite people from non artistic fields to participate in their projects. People like scientists, philosophers and engineers.
Knowbotic Research’s work has been discussed, and featured in various worldwide conferences and publications. They have also received many awards, including; the August Seeling Award of the Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum, the international ZKM Media Art Award, The Claasen Prize for Media Art and Photography, and Two Prix Ars Electronica Golden Nicas in 1994 and 1998. Knowbotic research is pretty interesting, this was my first time encountering artists that used technology as their medium. To me the group aids in making the future a reality, for example with the Knowbotic South project. They actually created a space that accurately represented another place, and you didn't have to fly on a plane to get there to experience it. All you had to do was turn on a computer and you were virtually transported. They did many of the things that people imagined future technology to be.
